Propane vs. Natural Gas vs. Heating Oil: Cumberland Home Heating Fuel Comparison

Homes have a choice of fuels to choose from when it comes to heating. Heating Oil is the most popular choice in Cumberland, used by 298,426 or 48% of homeowners. The 2nd most popular primary heating fuel for Cumberland households is Propane, used by 101,382 homes (16%). The rest of the homes are heated with Electricity (15%), Wood (10%), Natural Gas (9%), and Other (2%).

Cumberland County Residential Primary Home Heating Fuel (No. of Households)

Year	Natural Gas	Propane	Electricity	Oil	Wood	Solar	Other
2025	53,178	101,382	92,432	298,426	65,496	3,526	9,422
2024	51,248	98,171	83,361	309,159	59,610	3,144	8,226
2023	51,811	84,744	79,160	323,666	57,999	2,137	12,767
2022	48,991	84,304	63,901	339,456	51,998	1,704	11,224
2021	47,952	78,322	61,019	345,133	46,227	1,374	10,375
2020	46,351	73,782	54,514	345,001	50,077	1,210	9,402
2019	44,750	69,241	48,008	344,869	53,927	1,047	8,428
2018	44,328	61,194	41,759	355,904	54,843	1,169	8,683
2017	41,841	61,816	36,406	331,541	54,454	1,228	10,328
2016	41,879	52,621	33,543	333,900	55,290	312	11,584
2015	37,624	50,511	35,138	336,337	70,767	604	11,270
2014	37,608	48,027	28,040	342,185	78,214	451	11,692
2013	31,836	45,601	28,747	351,842	76,707	486	9,827
2012	28,621	41,477	23,260	374,110	76,225	635	6,995
2011	27,427	42,224	24,723	379,409	68,055	307	6,480
2010	23,135	36,617	27,813	384,021	65,520	446	5,177

Heating Oil (Fuel Oil) Use in Cumberland

Fuel oil has become less popular in Cumberland. In the 3 years since 2022, the number of households using number two heating oil dropped from 339,456 to 298,426, a 12% drop.

Propane vs. Natural Gas use for home heating in Cumberland

Between 2022 and today, the number of households using propane as the primary space heating fuel ramped up from 84,304 to 101,382, a 20% change. Comparing 2022 and today, the number of homes using natural gas as the primary space heating fuel shot up from 48,991 to 53,178, a 9% change.

Electricity use for home heating in Cumberland

Electric heat pump systems for home heating are gaining popularity in Cumberland. Since 2022, the number of homes heating with electricity increased from 63,901 to 92,432, a 45% change.

Adoption of solar home heating systems in Cumberland

Out of all fuels, solar is the safest for the environment. With an “active” solar heating system, liquid flows between solar panels on a home’s roof and a heat energy storage tank (similar to a hot water heater) in the basement. As it stands today, 3,526 homes in Cumberland are heated with active solar arrays. This is a 107% gain from 2022, when 1,704 homes incorporated active solar heating.

Cumberland County Heating Oil Trends

Last year, Cumberland County homeowners purchased a total of 48 million gallons of heating oil.

Short Term Trends

Cumberland’s overall number two heating oil use fluctuates from year to year primarily depending on how cold each winter is. As the temperature outside gets more chilly, homes’ HVAC systems need to burn increasing amounts of fuel oil to maintain the temperature that the thermostat is set to. Last winter, the average outside temperature in Cumberland was 24.4°F, which was 4.2°F colder than the prior winter's average outside temperature.

Cumberland County Average Winter Temperature

Heating Season	Average Temperature
2024 - 2025	24.4° F
2023 - 2024	28.6° F

Cumberland County Homeowner’s Guide to Selecting an Oil Company

For Cumberland families heating with number two heating oil, choosing which of the 60 heating oil companies that serve Cumberland is an important decision.

Full Service Oil Companies: Homeowners who prefer a “set-it-and-forget-it” heating system pick one of the 131 “full-service” oil companies that serve Cumberland. Full service companies such as Vic and Sons Fuel Co or Atlantic Heating Co offer clients annual contracts which consist of a combined package of both automatic heating oil delivery and heating system repair. With an automatic number two heating oil delivery contract, the company tracks your home’s fuel oil consumption and makes deliveries when your tank is running low. The household does not need to monitor the level of the oil tank or place individual orders.

Discount Oil Companies: Also known by the names “COD Fuel” or “Cash Heating Oil” companies, discount oil companies are for families who are on a budget. With discount oil companies, in return for better prices, you monitor the fuel oil level in your tank, and you place an oil order either when the level runs low or just before a major snowstorm. A few of the 2 Cumberland cash heating oil companies serving Cumberland include Lampron Energy and Maine Heating and Cooling.

Cumberland Oil Company By The Numbers: Fuel oil Companies Serving Cumberland: 60 companies .
Average Number of Cumberland Households Served per Fuel Oil company : 4974

Cumberland Heating Oil Delivery Overview

298,426 families in Cumberland heat their homes with oil. This makes oil delivery essential, especially when Cumberland temperatures drop as low as 17.7° F each winter. 47.8% of Cumberland homes rely on heating oil delivery each winter.

23.9% of Cumberland County Households Rely On Heating Oil Delivery Each Winter

Cumberland County Households	Cumberland County Heating Oil Households
1.2M	298,426

728 Cumberland Oil Companies You Can Bank On

With 246,945,991 gallons of oil delivered to Cumberland households the last heating season, the Cumberland community depends on its 728 oil companies when temperatures dip. Oil delivery is a two step process: First, an oil truck picks up oil at the nearest bulk fuel terminal (also known as a “rack”). In the case of Cumberland, two of the closest terminals are Sprague in Newington, NH and Sprague in So. Portland, ME. Then, the truck delivers the number two heating oil to residences and companies throughout Cumberland and the surrounding vicinity.